Tesla Delivers First Model S Sedan...To Itself

After much hype, speculation, ugly political sniping and a few threats of car fires, Tesla is finally ready to introduce its Model S electric plug-in sedan. It's a momentous occasion: it's the first demonstration that Tesla can build a viable electric vehicle and not just open-topped golf cars for the rich and famous. The company labels it as a "proof of concept" for themselves. And to reward itself for its success, Tesla has rolled the first Model S off the line—straight into the garage of a chief executive.Hey, every chef must sample his own soup, right?Steve Jurvetson, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, drove off in a maroon Model S with the vanity plate "TSLA S1." Hopefully, it won't be the last one. Tesla has ambitious plans to build and sell 5,000 Model S sedans at the end of this year and eventually move onto 30,000 cars per year, competing against the likes of the BMW 5 Series and other established luxury cars. But even if the company sells 1,681 examples in a month, it'll be OK—that's one more than the amount of Chevrolet Volts that were sold in May.After the Model S goes on sale in June 22nd, Tesla will waste no time rolling out a Model X crossover, to be sold at the clip of 10-15,000 per year. Already it's gotten more pre-orders than the Model S, according to Tesla,which qualifies it as the fastest-selling Tesla ever, which has to count for something.But in the mealwhile, Jurvetson can take comfort in knowing that like movie premieres and sneak previews (and first drives of expensive cars), he's got first dibs.Source: The Detroit Bureau

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